In Knoxville we have an adjacent county that grows unbelievable tomatoes. Why? I do not know but they claim it is the soil similar to vidalia onions. I am not sure but they are tart, sweet, large and tasty. Their festival draws about 100,000 and it is lotsa fun in Rutledge TN.http://www.ritterfarms.com/tomatoes.html

Sundancer7In Knoxville we have an adjacent county that grows unbelievable tomatoes. Why? I do not know but they claim it is the soil similar to vidalia onions. I am not sure but they are tart, sweet, large and tasty. Their festival draws about 100,000 and it is lotsa fun in Rutledge TN.http://www.ritterfarms.com/tomatoes.html

Paul E. SmithKnoxville, TN

Paul I think Grainger County tomatoes are just about the best I've ever had.

Not pricey? They are over 2x what a regular canned tomato costs. And God put the best tomatoes on earth in Indiana. I'll but Red Gold up against any canned tomato from anywhere. They are grown and canned right here. Open a can of those and take a wiff of sheer delight.

fishtacoNot pricey? They are over 2x what a regular canned tomato costs. And God put the best tomatoes on earth in Indiana. I'll but Red Gold up against any canned tomato from anywhere. They are grown and canned right here. Open a can of those and take a wiff of sheer delight.

I have to disagree also fishtaco.

Beside the nutrient rich volcanic soil of Southern Italy, I believe what make true San Marzano Tomatoes different is that they are picked ripe and immediately processed.

We had a local farmer who would grow plum tomatoes for Heinz. They would pick a certain time and pick all the green tomatoes. Then they would let me and a few others come in and scavenge up all the red ones. So, big difference right there in cost and quality.

I won't dump on any of you folk's garden efforts in your own locales, be that New Jersey or Arizona or places in-between. We have enjoyed several good years with our garden producing excellent Tomatoes of various types...We have also had a few bad years with poor production and terrible results using many of the same types of tomatoes. This year our ROMA's are simply outstanding. Huge in size. Solid in consistency, Great flavor. and appear to be extending their season by a considerable margin. We did not plant any of the Big Boy Variety , and now are glad we didn't. The ROMA's store well in various freezer dishes.

NOTE- We like the STEWED TOMATOES like the ones served at Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville,KY (Yes, that's Mrs. Colonel Sanders place) Almost like a Tomato/Bread Pudding. Recently we found a PAULA DEEN Recipe for a simiiar style Stewed Tomato dish using the "Sweet-Hawaiian Rolls" for the bread chunks added to the mixture. The result is a slightly sweetened veggie dish that tastes great and adds another way to use your produce without letting it waste away. I will post the recipe when I find it shortly.

Here are two of our Roma's. An afternoon snack for me..just a salt shaker and these two guys and I'm set..

mayor alI won't dump on any of you folk's garden efforts in your own locales, be that New Jersey or Arizona or places in-between. We have enjoyed several good years with our garden producing excellent Tomatoes of various types...We have also had a few bad years with poor production and terrible results using many of the same types of tomatoes. This year our ROMA's are simply outstanding. Huge in size. Solid in consistency, Great flavor. and appear to be extending their season by a considerable margin. We did not plant any of the Big Boy Variety , and now are glad we didn't. The ROMA's store well in various freezer dishes.

NOTE- We like the STEWED TOMATOES like the ones served at Claudia Sanders Dinner House in Shelbyville,KY (Yes, that's Mrs. Colonel Sanders place) Almost like a Tomato/Bread Pudding. Recently we found a PAULA DEEN Recipe for a simiiar style Stewed Tomato dish using the "Sweet-Hawaiian Rolls" for the bread chunks added to the mixture. The result is a slightly sweetened veggie dish that tastes great and adds another way to use your produce without letting it waste away. I will post the recipe when I find it shortly.

Here are two of our Roma's. An afternoon snack for me..just a salt shaker and these two guys and I'm set..

Beautiful!!!! Pass me the salt....Oh the sauce you could make with a bunch of those babies!!!